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TAIPEI — Taiwan’s Air Force plans to overhaul 16 T56-A14 single-shaft turboprop engines for its new fleet of Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion Maritime/Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) aircraft. The $10.6 million contract was awarded to Texas-based StandardAero-San Antonio Inc.
Taiwan secured 12 aircraft, plus three spare airframes, for $1.9 billion in 2007 under the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s (DSCA) Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.
The P-3C aircraft will replace older Grumman S-2T Tracker aircraft. Despite the fact that the S-2T aircraft officially comprise two squadrons, 133rd and 134th, only a handful of the original 26 S-2T aircraft are still ASW operational.
The FMS engine overall contract was announced by the DSCA on Feb. 19 and work is expected to be completed by the end of 2014. The U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division is the contracting activity.
StandardAero San Antonio is the world’s largest T56 engine maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility, providing services for the Rolls Royce/Allison T56 turboprop, which also powers the C-130 Hercules and C-2 Greyhound cargo/transport aircraft.
The original 2007 P-3 deal also included 15 Data Link terminals, 19 Multifunctional Information Distribution Systems (MIDS)/Low Volume Terminals (LVT), two MIDS On-Ship Terminals, and Command Control Communications Computer Intelligence Surveillance, Reconnaissance, (C4ISR) network.
